Chris Sanderson LMSW

I discovered a passion for human services while studying Philosophy at Pepperdine University, and spent 5 years working and volunteering in various arenas of the helping fields including education, regenerative agriculture, and non-profit work before pursuing a Masters in Social Work at University of Michigan in 2019. I honed my skills as a clinician during an internship and a two year fellowship at University of Michigan Ambulatory Psychiatry where I spent three years on the Perinatal Team working with parents and couples, three years on the DBT Team working with folks in recovery from trauma, and two years in the Infant and Early Childhood Clinic evaluating and treating young children experiencing mood, anxiety and trauma related issues. In my work with individuals I balance the wisdom offered in skills and insight oriented modalities like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) with emotion-focused somatic experiencing in order to support the expansion of psychological flexibility to create a future that is different from the past. This future can include more power, freedom, safety, and connection among other client centered goals. In couples work, I assist couples in examining the question posed eloquently by Esther Perel: "what are we fighting for?" rather than "what are we fighting about?". By shifting our focus from content to process, I assist couples in getting unstuck from cycles of mutual misperception and deeply wedged, zero-sum-game conflict. My clients tell me that they appreciate the curious, non-judgmental lens we co-create in our work. If you are searching for healing within yourself or for your marriage, I would be honored to serve as a guide and a witness.